Escaping Fate
by Krillin Fan
Summary: Mirai Timeline. Krillin learns that sometimes loving someone includes making the Ultimate Sacrifice. K18, Kinda AU, but not really. Takes place in Other World after Trunks' return.


**Escaping Fate**

_Alrighty, folks! Guess what? It's time for my long-awaited Mirai timeline story! So many people seem to do stories involving the alternate timeline, and it seems so popular that I figured I'd get in on it. However, unlike others, my story won't focus on Trunks growing up in this world, or Gohan's transformation being triggered, or Vegeta or Piccolo or even anyone still alive! This story is going to focus on Krillin and the Androids post mortem. In other words, they're already dead. Interesting, eh? That way I can get away with what I write and it won't be A/U. plus, I really feel some things were destined to happen, including... well, you'll see. Also, I feel compelled to explain my opening sequence: I know in the movie 'The History of Trunks', when Krillin's death is depicted, it's at the hands of both Androids. However, in the episode 'Ghosts from Tomorrow' his death is depicted at the hands of Android 17, perhaps even implying he never came into contact with 18. Since I accept anything that happens in the series over anything that happens in the movies, I'm going with this angle. Also, please note that I'm not going to use the cutesy HFIL abbreviation. I'ma call it like it is. One final note: some of you may find this disturbing to a small degree. Now, onto the story (Finally!)..._

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_Krillin ran as he had never run before, his breath coming in short ragged gasps as he looked upwards to see if his pursuer was still on his heels. Sure enough, he could make out the silhouette of Android 17, who eagerly gave chase to the small human. Krillin could hear his own heart pounding in his ears as he picked up more speed, trying desperately to lose him long enough to at least find a hiding place. Ordinarily, hed've flown, but that wasn't an option; there was nowhere to hide in the air, and fighting his opponent was out of the question._

_This whole situation wasn't even supposed to happening! All he was supposed to do was pick up some parts for Bulma from one of the stores in what was left of this particular city. He hadn't exactly been to eager, but it was either him or Gohan and Krillin didn't exactly have the heart to let a thirteen year old boy face the potential danger that lay outside the old Capsule Corp. Bunker they were forced for the moment to call home. Besides, Bulma had assured him that the Androids were miles away from here, having set their sights on a more fertile target. _

_At least, one of them had._

_The other, he noted, the girl was missing. 'Strange,' he thought. 'I've heard all about her, but I've never even seen a picture of that one.' The thought was soon chased from his mind by the shockwave of an explosion not more than two feet away from him. Apparently, the hunter was growing tired of chasing its prey._

_He also noted that it was nigh onto impossible for him to run with a bag full of servos and circuits and the like, especially when being pursued by someone fully intent on killing you! He carefully timed his next move until he was sure he was blocked from the Android's sight by an overpass, and then chucked the bag into a small hole in the side of one of the office buildings. Now he could run at full speed without worrying about dropping anything. Besides, he could always double back and pick it up later._

_If he survived, that is._

_Waiting for a few more seconds in an attempt to catch his breath, he broke from cover and ran, narrowly escaping the hail of ki blasts that rained down on his previous position. He continued to run, chancing one last look behind him to see if maybe, just maybe, the Android had thought him dead and given up the chase. Much to his shock, his pursuer was nowhere in sight. He then turned his eyes forward again to come face to upside-down face with Android 17, his arm extended and a rather large ki ball forming in his hand. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as Krillin registered what was about to happen._

_He was about to die._

_With a broad smirk etched onto his face, Android 17 released the ball at his target, relishing the screams he heard coming from his prey as it was engulfed by his blast, a blast that actually managed to light the horizon. When the dust settled, however he was shocked to find his victim's body was still intact, just extremely fried, almost beyond recognition. The Doctor's data had been correct; this one was quite durable and hard to kill. 'Not too hard, though,' he noted with a wicked grin._

_"17, you're such a showoff." The Android turned to face his twin sister, a look of annoyance on her face._

_"Maybe so, 18, but what's wrong with having a little fun? Besides, I did what you wanted." He nudged Krillin's charred body with his foot. "This one won't trouble your thoughts any longer. Now, what say we get going? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to take a little break."_

_Android 18 chanced a glance at the corpse that lay at her brother's feet, and a wave of something she'd never felt before washed over her. She felt... guilty._

_She'd told herself it was impossible to feel any emotion. She certainly hadn't been able to so far. Yet, now she felt an emotion so strong that she almost let that barrier she'd built up fall. Why, why did it have to be like this? She hadn't even been the one to kill him, though she'd had plenty of ample opportunities, such as when he was foolish enough to try to pull people from the rubble they'd leave behind them, but something within her had always stopped her, as if something that lay hidden deep within her own mind was stopping her. Something that made her admire the little human, in spite of herself._

_Now, he was dead, and though her brother had been the one to kill him, she felt responsible. It was, after all, done at her request. She had thought that if he was gone, she'd have no trouble forgetting the thoughts she'd had, the turmoil she'd felt, but now, it seemed ten times worse._

_17 regarded his sister and laughed. "Jeez, 18, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you actually felt sorry for the little worm! C'mon, let's get outa here. You'll get over this in no time."_

_18's face returned to its emotionless state as she flew off with her brother. "That's impossible, 17. There's nothing to get over."_

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That was what she'd said at that time, but Android 17 wasn't so sure. Ever since that day, his sister had changed. She'd become even more unruly, angrier, more aggressive, and had remained so until the day they'd... died.

Now that was something difficult for his mind to process. They were both dead, he and his sister, killed at the hands of that annoying kid! 17 was seriously beginning to wish that they'd just killed him when they had a chance instead of wanting a more entertaining 'toy' to play with later. But the thing that perplexed him more was what was happening now.

When they first arrived in this Other World, as the locals seemed to refer to it, there were no illusions left as to the whole 'life after death' question. They had simply accepted that fact and moved on. When the realization of where they were going set in however, they began to worry. Especially 18; the idea of spending an eternity in excruciating pain didn't really seem to appeal to her all that much.

When they were brought to this strange palace, they were shocked to find themselves rushed into a sort of sitting room rather than some kind of 'judgment chamber' or something of the like. It was then they were told of their rather unique position. Apparently, someone with some pull up here had requested a chance to argue their case... and on their behalf!

'Who in their right mind...' he thought to himself as he looked over at his sister. What he saw stopped him in mid-thought; his sister was sitting in a chair in the corner, her arms wrapped around herself as she rocked gently back and forth. Her eyes were open wide and she appeared to be shaking.

Now he was worried. In all his existence, that he could recall at any rate, he'd never seen 18 scared. She'd always seemed too strong to be afraid of anything. Truth be told, he'd always thought that he would've cracked before she ever did.

17 began to approach his sister when he thought he heard something, a sound closely resembling a muffled voice coming through the wall that 18 sat next to. A thought began to wander in his mind, and he pressed his ear to the wall, clearly able to hear what the voices, but unable to distinguish who they belonged to.

"Are you crazy?!" the voice, obviously male, shouted. "After what they did, you're defending them?! They killed so many people, not to mention you! I don't get it!"

The other voice, a bit softer and quieter than the other, spoke. "Look, Gohan..."

Android 17 shot back as his eyes widened in shock. Gohan was there? The guy that had given them so much trouble? Well, it wasn't hard to guess why he was there; either giving some kind of testimony or perhaps even as the one who argued against them.

The other voice he still couldn't place even as it continued. "...I know they did a lot of things, but can they really be blamed for it?"

Gohan scoffed at the very notion as the other continued. "No, I'm serious. They couldn't help doing what they did. It's what they were programmed to do; it's all they knew to do. I know how you feel and believe me, I've tried to blame them, but I can't and I don't think they should be made to suffer for what is essentially not their fault to begin with."

Gohan sighed. "Fine. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Krillin."

The sound of that name made 17 pull back from the wall so hard that he almost wrenched his neck. Krillin was defending them? That little weakling his sister had asked him to take care of? Their fates were in HIS hands?

18 noticed her brother seemed to be in a state somewhere between shock and disgust. "17, what's wrong? You look like you just found out Gero was your real father."

17 sat down in the chair next to his sister and crossed his arms, almost pouting. "Well, here's the deal," he said. "Given who's gonna defend us, we're pretty much screwed." He hung his head slightly. "I don't believe this. Things aren't supposed to be this way..."

18 couldn't help wondering who it was that had the task of defending them to a group of people that had pretty much already condemned them. She'd overheard enough to know that much. But their time was coming up soon and 18 at least wanted to see the one that her brother described as having them 'screwed'.

She didn't have long to wait until the door to their room opened and a strange blue ogre with a single horn peeking through his brown hair walked in. He was dressed in a business suit, oddly enough, and 18 wondered to herself if this was the guy who was essentially their attorney.

"I'm just here to alert you that your defense will be speaking soon," he said. "If you have anything you wish to say, you should tell him now before he's granted his audience, as you're not allowed in the court chamber itself."

17 straightened up in his seat. "Wait a sec, you mean we don't get a say in this? That's a load of bull!"

"I never said you didn't get a say, I said you're not allowed in the chambers. Your representative will make any arguments you wish him to, but you must tell him beforehand." The ogre looked over at 18. "He seems especially interested in seeing you, miss."

18 could feel her lip automatically start to curl at that statement. Typical male, always thinking about one thing, even after death. "Whatever. Is he coming in or not?"

The ogre nodded his head and stepped out of the room. They could overhear what he was saying to the other man out in the hall. "Now, you go up soon, so please keep it brief; they're likely to count it against you if you keep them waiting for too long. Also, if they should get out of hand, just call out and we'll send someone in to restrain them. Is that clear?'

The other man chuckled slightly. "I highly doubt that'll be necessary. They're not gonna cause any more trouble, I can promise you that."

18 froze at the sound of that voice, and the feeling of guilt returned. 'No,' she thought, 'not him. There's no way it could be him! I can't face him knowing what I've done.'

Sure enough, it was Krillin that walked into that room, and 18 found herself feeling ill. She could still hear his screams; still see his charred body on the ground, its face contorted in pain. Yet here he was, alive and well, so to speak, a-and smiling?! This was so wrong!

Krillin sat down in a chair across from the two and searched for the proper words to say. No small task normally, but especially now with the one that killed him right in front of him. Plus a gorgeous girl looking at him with those big, beautiful blue eyes... He shook his head slightly to push that thought out of his mind. No point in wasting time dwelling on things that wouldn't happen.

"Um, hi," he managed to get out. "I guess I'm supposed to ask you if you've got anything you want me to say..."

17 shot up, his chair clattering to the floor. "Oh, believe me, I got something to say!" He rushed over to Krillin and slammed him into the opposing wall, holding him in the air by the throat. He leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "You stay away from my sister, freak. Ever since you got here, she's been acting like some scared little kid, and I DON'T need you playing with her head anymore, got it?"

"17, put him down!" This was SO not going to help their case. She wasn't sure what he was saying to him, but one thing she knew, if you wanna win in court, you certainly don't tick off your attorney. When her brother refused to comply, she took on a decidedly harsher tone. "I said Put him down! NOW!"

Her brother finally complied and released the little man, who simply straightened his clothes before he continued. "As I said, I'm supposed to ask you if there was anything you wanted to say to the court before I go in there. You know, any arguments, any... um, apologies-"

17 didn't allow him to get any further. "Oh, no. I don't care WHAT happens, I'm not gonna lower myself to begging for their forgiveness. I'm nowhere NEAR that pathetic, thank you."

Krillin noticed that 18 was sill sitting in her chair, legs crossed, trying to appear calm, but something in her eyes told him otherwise. He saw an emotion there that he'd never expected to see in her. Fear. She was afraid, afraid of what was going to happen to her. And, he knew, afraid of what he'd say especially if he knew...

"I don't blame you, you know."

18's eyes shot wide open. "What?! What're you talking about, Shorty?"

He lowered his head slightly. "I know what happened. About how you asked your brother to... you know." She began to shift in her seat uncomfortably. "I know that it must've scared you, what you were going through. Heck, in your position, I might've done the same thing."

"How can you possibly know all this?" she asked, uncrossing her legs and sitting up a little straighter.

Krillin smiled at her. "Nothing's a secret up here. Everything you've ever done, ever thought, it goes on record. I happened to have access to some of them, and I came across yours-" He was cut off by 17's hand once again closed around his windpipe.

"What, now you're spying on us, you little freak?! I oughtta cave your skull in, you little-"

17's threat was cut short by two words, words he never thought he'd hear his sister say.

"I'm sorry."

17 was shocked beyond belief, so shocked he released his grip. His sister, apologizing? Never in a million years would he have considered that a possibility, especially to a worthless, weak, ugly little human. What in the world was she doing?! Then, an idea struck him: she was manipulating him. That had to be it! She was pretending to be sorry, acting nice to placate him so he'd defend them. That had to be it!

Krillin smiled at her. "Don't be. I already told you, I understand. My life wasn't exactly a bed of roses, either. I had moments where I was tempted to do... things, too."

18 was on the verge of tears. "B-but... you didn't. I just don't get how you can be so..." As she searched for the right word, a knock sounded at the door, and the familiar gruff voice of an ogre called out to him. "You'd best head into the chambers now. Remember what I said about being late?"

"I'll be right there," he called before turning his attention to 18. "I've gotta go now." He reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I promise, I'll do my best for you guys, okay?" He got up to leave before 18 stopped him.

"Are... are you gonna come back?" she asked, still holding his hand.

Krillin was surprised to say the least. It was almost as if she'd reverted back into a normal girl, like she was no longer the Android she used to be, and she was undeniably terrified; why she sought comfort from him instead of her brother, he didn't know or care. "Of course I'll come back," he said with a smile, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. Then, he saw a sight he'd treasure for years to come. She smiled, the biggest, most relieved smile he'd ever seen before she finally let go of his hand.

He nodded at her brother and walked out the door, swearing to himself that he was going to do what ever it took to get them out of this.

No matter the cost.

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When he was certain Krillin was out of earshot, 17 turned and smiled at his sister. "Nicely acted, 18! If I didn't know any better, I'd think you actually cared for that human."

18 raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Acting? What're you talking about?"

17 just closed his eyes and smiled. 'Oh, you ARE a shrewd one, Sister. Just keep that up and we'll be outa this in no time.'

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This went on for what seemed like weeks. Maybe it WAS weeks, maybe more, maybe less. Who could really tell? Certainly not them, they were stuck in a room 24/7. Android 17 cringed slightly at the thought that someone else had entered into their collective; 'we', 'us', 'they' and 'them' now included a third member.

Of course, the little human was more an accessory to him. Just a necessity to accomplish their freedom, means to an end. But, not so much with 18, he knew. It had seemed so simple at first; his sister was supposedly just playing this guy, trying to stay on his good side until they no longer needed him. But, as time wore on, he began to notice little things, like how she seemed to take an unhealthy interest in his past, how she seemed to lean on him quite often, the times she'd laugh at his jokes; okay, there he had to admit, the little human had proved entertaining. Jokingly, he'd even begun to refer to him as his sister's 'boyfriend', half expecting her to kill him for that, but to his shock, she'd just begun blushing! Not even an attempt to deny the term! Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, though why it was with that particularly unattractive human, he didn't know, nor did he care to know. Besides, Krillin WAS an agreeable sort of person. He was someone that 17 could even possibly learn to tolerate. Possibly, and even then, toleration was the furthest he'd allow himself to go.

But then, there had been the day he'd become almost insanely jealous.

He'd been sitting back in his chair, counting the cracks in the ceiling for the umpteenth time, when he hard the conversation between the two 'lovebirds' as he'd subconsciously come to think of them, took a more serious turn. 17's curiosity had been piqued, and he tuned into what the two were talking about.

"It's just... I'm surprised is all." 18 turned away from Krillin. "I'm surprised you don't hate us. When I think about everything we did... what we might've done..."

Krillin could tell she was on the verge of tears and the sentiment brought him to that edge himself. He gently turned her to face him again. "Like I said, neither one of you could help what you did. Dr. Gero programmed you to do it, he brainwashed you into thinking that way. Otherwise, you never would've done it; the way you are now proves that in and of itself. I could never hate you, 18. You OR your brother."

It was in that moment that 18 finally snapped, finally crossed the threshold to being human again. She took Krillin's face in her hands, studying him intently before she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. And in that moment, 17 was crushed. He knew what that meant; in the time he'd been up here some of his latent memories had been restored and though they weren't ALL back, many were and he couldn't find one single instance where 18 had been with a man in any way, shape or form. To him, they may as well have been married.

It meant that she had made a choice. If and when they were allowed to enter the heavenly realm, she had chosen who she would spend her time with, who she wanted to be with forever. And, after all they'd been through, she'd rather be with some human she'd known no more than a month than her own flesh and blood. This realization made his blood boil, and as soon as the little man returned to the court chambers, he let her know it.

"You're stupid, you know that?"

18's smile she so often wore these days immediately left her face as she turned to glare at her brother. "What did you say to me?!"

"You heard me, 18." His face wore a look almost more deadly than her own. "You just up and jump into the arms of the first guy waiting. Jeez, 18, I didn't know you were that easy!" His remark earned him a slap across the face as his sister stood before him, shaking in rage.

"Don't you EVER imply that again, you jerk! You don't know the first thing about how I feel-"

"AND YOU don't even CARE about how I feel!" he snapped back, his breathing becoming ragged. "You just up and decide to shack up with that human, and don't CARE about what happens to ME!"

"WELL EXCUSE ME! I just ASSUMED you'd be staying with us-"

"See, that's another thing right there! You make this decision without even knowing whether or not you-"

"Before you say ANYTHING, Brother, yes I do know I love him!"

17 smirked at her. "Yes, but how do you know he loves you? What makes you think he doesn't just pity you? Just because he gave that whole 'love at first sight' speech a while back? That's one of the oldest pick-up lines in the book!"

18 stood there in shock. Was it true? Did Krillin only pity her? Or was he simply attempting to 'score' as she'd often heard her brother say when referring to guys and women? These were all things that 18 had never considered before, and the possibility that they were true had her frightened.

She remained in shock until her brother tapped lightly on her shoulder, muttering something about 'go time'. She shook her head and asked him to repeat the statement. "Jeez," he said, "you really DON'T listen. I said it's time to go. Apparently, they reached some sort of verdict and want us to be present when it's delivered. Let's go."

They left the room they were confined to and crossed the hallway to a pair of highly ornate doors, which appeared to be plated with gold along the edges and with some sort of strange writing on them. As soon as they were in front of them, the doors swung inwards and the two were guided inside to a raised platform, where Krillin also stood. Before either one of the twins could take stock in their surroundings, the room suddenly went dark, the only light in the room illuminating the platform where they stood and the judges bench before them. On that bench were some of thee oddest creatures they'd ever seen; so odd, in fact, that they were incapable of describing them. The only thing that they could really state was that there were four of them.

Before long, one of the creatures spoke. "Krillin, in the matter you have presented before us, after careful consideration, we have indeed reached a unanimous decision."

18 looked over at Krillin to see whether or not that was a good thing. Judging by the look on his face, she guessed that it wasn't.

"In the matter of the fate of the one known to you as Android 18, she is free to join with you in the heavenly realms."

18 was sure she stopped breathing for a moment. Dare she believe it? She was free! Free! She no longer had to worry about...

That thought trailed off as she realized that they had yet to pass sentence on her brother. What if he wasn't allowed to go free? She didn't know if she would be able to-

"In the matter of the fate of the one known to you as Android 17..."

18 and 17 held their breath, hoping to God they'd hear-

"He is also free to go..."

The twins threw their arms around each other in spite of themselves! They were free! They could be together; they wouldn't have to be sent to-

"... Provided you uphold your end of the bargain."

18 froze. What exactly did they mean, his part of the bargain? She turned to look at him. "Krillin, what..." she noted the look on his face; a look of extreme fear and pain, but also determination. "What did you do?!"

Krillin fought off the urge to cry. "Th-they were gonna let you go. They said it was a f-f-favor to me. But your brother... they said someone had to pay for what you guys did, even if it wasn't of your own free will." He turned and looked up into her eyes. "I know how much he means to you, so I... I made a deal. You two get to go free, you'll get to be together forever. Just so long as I take his place."

"Take his place? What do you...? NO! NONONO!" She gripped onto him tightly as the floor beneath him began to recede. "I WON'T LET YOU GO!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he began to slip into the abyss. "I love you."

With that, he slipped out of her grasp and fell through the gaping hole beneath him.

18 was beside herself as she hit the floor, bawling like a small child, her brother wrapping her arms around her for comfort, wondering if his sister would ever truly be happy again.

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Krillin fell through the air for what seemed like ages, air that was filled with nothing save smoke and darkness before he finally hit the ground below with a rather painful thud. Slowly, he pulled himself up, coughing while trying to clear the smoke from his lungs. There was no doubt as to where he was now. Everywhere he looked, he saw dark, barren rock and billowing clouds of black smoke coming from various pits around the peninsula on which he currently stood. He was stuck in Hell, for all eternity.

As if that realization weren't enough, he soon realized that he wasn't just stuck here; he was separated from his loved ones. He'd never get to see Goku, Gohan, Yamcha, Tien... or 18. He remembered the look on her face as she figured out what was happening, the look of terror she shot him as he fell. He was never going to see her again, and that would always be his last memory of her, her beautiful face contorted with grief. He sat down and began to cry.

"Oh, how sad. The poor little baby feels sorry for himself!"

Krillin's muscles locked at the sound of that raspy voice. He knew full well who it belonged to. The one that still caused him to shake at the memory of what he had endured at his hands, the one that gave him nightmares that would make him wake up screaming.

Frieza.

The monster known as Frieza smiled down at the form of the little man seated below him. "My, my, you must've been a VERY bad boy to have been sent down here. Well, far be it from me to keep you from your punishment. In fact..." He reached down and grabbed Krillin by the wrist. "... ALLOW ME TO ASSIST!" he shouted, flinging him into a nearby stalactite. The impact in and of itself more than knocked the wind out of him and he was sure he felt one of his ribs crack as he slammed into the ground beneath him. This was soon followed by Frieza's foot slamming into the middle of his back from the air and Krillin could actually feel part of hi spine shatter upon impact.

He let out a scream of pain and Frieza closed his eyes in ecstasy. "You know, little one," he said, that same sadistic smile returning to his face, "your screams always did bring me great pleasure." He then proceeded to grind his foot into Krillin's back, enjoying the cries of agony that followed. "That's it, human," he coaxed.

"Scream for me!"

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Three days had passed since that ruling. Three days since 17 and 18 had been allowed into Heaven. Three days since Krillin had taken the punishment that was to be his.

It was an enigma to 17 as to why his sister could've fallen for such a man, and in so little time. But the fact remained that she had and the results were devastating to her. In that three day period, she hadn't spoken a single word, hadn't made a single move. Heck, she hadn't even looked up from that spot on the ground that she had affixed her eyes to. 17 smiled to himself. Maybe he had just what was needed to cheer his sister up.

He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. No response. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "18, you in there?" Again, no response. He took in a deep breath and screamed into her ear. "YO! 18!!" She didn't even move except to blink.

"Oh, c'mon 18, I know you can hear me! Listen, some big shot is gonna be at Yemma's place, and I thought you might wanna hear what he has to say."

18 jus pulled up a few blades of grass and tossed them into the breeze. "Don't wanna," she muttered.

17 began to grow impatient. "Look, 18, you're going and that's that! I don't care if I have to carry you there myself!" She made no move, apparently not believing him. Without another word, he bent down and hauled his sister off the ground. He half expected her to start kicking and screaming at him to put her down as he glided along with her slung over his shoulder, but surprisingly, she just seemed to go along with it.

After a few moments, he arrived at Yemma's palace and found a rather large crowd made up of souls of all varying shapes and sizes gathered around the palace, trying to get a look at this important visitor. All 17 had been able to procure from them was that this guy was known as the Supreme Kai, and that he must be VERY important if even the self-described 'Great King Yemma' was showing such humility before him. Unable to hear the words being spoken inside or see this Kai for that matter, 17 floated upward to get a better view. The sight he was greeted with was strange beyond compare.

Yemma himself spoke with his head slightly bowed before the one known as the Supreme Kai, who was only a kid! Well, he appeared to be a kid anyway. He was quite short and had a small build. Frankly, the guy looked like he could be knocked over by a feather! Plus, he had pointed elf ears and a giant mohawk! 17 seriously had to struggle not to out and out mock him for his appearance. The only thing that kept him silent was hearing what they had to say. He gently shook his sister and let her float in the air for herself. "Hey, sis. You're gonna want to hear this!"

18 begrudgingly listened to the conversation between Yemma and what looked to her like a reject from Santa's workshop with little interest. Until, that is, she heard the conversation take a more interesting turn.

Yemma seemed to bow his head in an almost apologetic manner. "Yes, sir, I completely agree. It was an unwise and unjust ruling and shall be rescinded right away."

The Supreme Kai nodded. "And the judges?"

"They're being replaced as we speak, sir! Rest assured, I won't allow anything like this to ever happen again!"

The Supreme Kai smiled. "Good. See to it that you don't. Now, there's still the matter of bringing that poor soul back. What did you say his name was?"

18's heart began to thud against her chest. Dare she believe it? Were they actually going to bring him back?

Yemma flipped through one of his many log books, searching for the right name. "Ah, here it is. His name is Krillin, sir. Now, the only question remaining is who to send down to retrieve him..."

It was all 18 could do to keep from laughing out loud! Krillin was coming back! He was going to come back to her! She finally decided she couldn't wait a second longer and rushed at full speed toward the now-open door, leaving a stunned pair of demi-deities wondering what in the world that blonde streak was that had just flown by.

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Krillin lay panting on the floor of sulfur-infused rock, trying to recover from his last re-spawn. This was a thousand times worse than any of his nightmares; no matter how may times he was 'killed', death would never come. His body just regenerated time after time, much to his tormentor's pleasure.

Frieza paced the ground in front of his new favorite toy. "Well, little one, so far you've been crushed, blown up, sliced apart, and disemboweled. You know what the scary part is? That's nowhere NEAR the limit of what I can do to you. Now, what shall we play this time, hmm? Oh, I know. Let's go for something a little more traditional." He snaked his tail around Krillin's neck and began to squeeze.

Krillin was literally seeing spots as his feet were lifted off the ground, his own weight being used to aid in his strangulation. He began to claw desperately at the tail surrounding his neck, tears of panic and helplessness sliding down his cheeks as he heard that same insane laughter filling his ears...

Suddenly, the laughter stopped and he was dropped to the ground. Looking up, he saw Frieza skidding across the rocky peninsula, only to fall into one of the pits below. He suddenly felt himself being cradled by something very warm as he was rocked gently back and forth. He looked up to see the most wonderful sight he'd ever witnessed. 18 smiled down at him as she shushed him from making anymore sounds in a vain attempt to speak through a very sore throat.

'It's alright, baby," she said, as she carried him back up toward the light. "It's okay. I promise I won't ever let anything hurt you again. I'm gonna stay right by your side forever."

Krillin smiled as he managed to force out a hoarse whisper. "I love you."

She returned the smile as she kissed his forehead, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I love you, too."

"I always will."

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_Well, that's it. Hope you enjoyed it. Also, I feel obligated to alert people that this is in no way my opinion on how the afterlife will be. I'm just trying to follow DBZ's guidelines. Also, I know that 18 seemed OOC, but I figured I'd do a bit of mix-n-match. While 18 was kind of a mix between her Android self and her human self in the normal timeline, I figured I'd do the extremes in the Mirai timeline; 18 as all Android while alive and all human post mortem. Cool, eh? Besides, the idea of dwelling in a fiery pit for all eternity tends to scare one straight. Well, please review!_


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